As a by-product of the unusually cold, clear mornings that Southern California has been experiencing, mother nature has produced some amazing lighting, which in turn translates to the beautiful highlights and reflections draped across a variety of vehicles present at cars&coffee/Irvine.

The following photos represent yet another opportunity for me to study and record the unique automotive highlights, reflections and illuminated details, as represented by the photos below…

Rear deck lid with punched in louvers in classic “356 Outlaw” style.

An incredible interior produced in saddle colored leather (as seen above). The scent of the leather instantly reminded me of sitting in my grandfather’s 1950’s vintage Mercedes-Benz cabriolet as a little kid, surrounded by its aromatic, red leather interior.

Even the fuel tank located in the front trunk ( below) was finished to the same level of detail as the silver exterior. The finish on the fuel tank shone like a mirror, recreating the images of the sky and cloud cover floating overhead.

A brand new 2014 Porsche 991 coupe, resplendent in Riviera Blue. According to the owner (who arranged for european delivery of this special order Type 991), and upon receipt of his car in Stuttgart, was told by Porsche that this is the only 991 that has been painted Riviera Blue… how cool is that!

Parked among the group along Porsche row were multiple examples of 1970s vintage 914 models. In this case, the front hood of a restored tangerine colored Porsche 914-6, bathed in reflections.

My next stop would be at the Featured lot, where on this morning I encountered the stunning Jaguar XK-150 roadster seen below, parked amidst a row of Corvettes, and reflecting on its surroundings.

A close up of the XK-150s hood ornament and front grill badging.

On the other side of the Featured lot were these two, brand new 2014 Porsche 991s courtesy of Walter’s Porsche from Riverside. The 911 Carrera 4S cabriolet as seen below, turned out to have been painted a very unique, and special order color. The color in question turned out to be Stone Gray, which was originally offered as a “special order color”, during the 1957 through 1959 Porsche 356 model years.

Another visible cue used for identifying a Type 991 Carrera 4S; the red, horizontal reflector strip, bridging the gap between the rear tail lights, and inset just below the rear deck lid.

Making a rare appearance at cars&coffee was this black (Nero Pastello) Ferrari 599 as seen below. One could not ask for a better color on a 599, for showcasing the incredible reflections wrapping themselves across the striking contours of the bodywork.

Even the side mirrors held surprises for anyone willing to stop and take the time to study the variety of details found across the Ferrari.

The Ferrari 599 stealth fighter at rest, basking in the morning’s light…

Returning to Porsche row, I came across another frequent visitor; this beautiful Irish Green 1968 Porsche 912, complete with reflections defining the contours of its front hood and fenders.

One of the late arrivals to the featured lot seen below. A black Ford GT 40 Mk II recreation, shining like a mirror, enhanced by the spectacular, form defining reflections.

And last but not least, a beautifully maintained, India Red Porsche 911 SC, complete with its German license plate below.

Come to think of it, I did see a large, jolly looking man in a red coat and white beard casually walking through the crowd that morning. Could this license plate be a clue to his identity?

Let me begin this post by noting that our trip to this years LA Auto Show 2013 came very close to not occurring at all. In the past, we have always arrived on opening day, just prior to the doors opening, and as a result have never had a problem with parking. However, this year we were unable to arrive until after 1 PM. So imagine my dismay, after circling the convention center for close to 40 minutes, trying to find parking, moving from lot to lot, waiting in line only to have the lot close down three cars in front of us. The few remaining lots that were open, ironically right across the street from the convention center, were charging $40.00 to park. Finally, my son and his girlfriend came to the rescue, and after a brief cell call, we drove several miles south from the Convention Center, where we met up with them at a parking structure, paid our $10.00 fee, phoned the service “Uber”, and got a ride back up to the convention center. By 2 PM, the four of us finally arrived and entered the show amid a crush of like-minded people. Attendance at this years show took on extra meaning, since both my wife and son had come with the intent of shopping for a new car.

In the past, our show strategy has always been to start by visiting the West Hall and the Petree Hall / Porsche exhibit first, and from there we would explore the remaining exhibit halls. However, this year we started the process in reverse, by beginning our visit at the South Hall and concluding our visit at Petree Hall, with the Porsche exhibit saved for last.

Prior to this years LA Auto Show, Porsche let it be known within the Southern California Porsche community that they were looking for a 1989 Porsche 930 Turbo cabriolet, for inclusion into this years 2013 Porsche at Petree Hall display. Obviously, they were successful in their quest, as witnessed by the Grand Prix white 1989 911 Turbo Cabriolet on display just outside of the main entrance into the Porsche exhibit (as seen below). Once inside, the intent of this 911 Turbo Cabriolet display made perfect sense.

Parked just inside and to the immediate left of the entrance was the first of several debuts as seen below; in this case the world premier of Porsches new 911 Turbo Cabriolet for 2014.

And parked to its immediate right, another model also made its world debut: a white 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, flanked by the silver, 2014 Porsche 991 GT3 coupe (as seen below).

However, as you can probably tell, my attention was fixed more on one of my favorite Porsche models. I was finally face to face with the new, 2014 type 991 Porsche GT3.

The photos that I’d seen in magazines of the new GT3 just didn’t do the car justice. However, seeing it in person made a greater impression, as it definitely exudes the “race car for the street” vibe, confirming impressions made and written about by those fortunate enough to have driven the brand new 2014 GT3.

This particular GT3 has also been optioned with Porsches top of the line PCCB (“Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake”) system. Porsche has long used color to visually distinguish the difference between their high performance brake packages. In the case of the ultra high performance / race track focused PCCB brake option, the calipers are painted bright yellow, and matched to their cross drilled, carbon ceramic rotors. The standard (stock) GT3 brake package consists of red calipers, matched with cross drilled steel rotors which appear to be better suited for cars not destined to see track days.

The 20 inch wheel / tire combination found on the 2014 GT3 definitely fills out the wheel wells, and are reportedly a key factor to the new models handling, over that of the previous GT3 model equipped with 19 inch wheels.

Another unique type 991 model on display, and parked immediately to the right of the GT3, was this 2014 50th Anniversary Edition as seen below, built to celebrate 50 years of Porsche 911 production and evolution.

If you look closely, you can see several carry-over design details incorporated into this 50th anniversary edition model, borrowed from the earliest 911 models of the mid 1960’s. Two of the most obvious design details ( influences) can be seen in the new wheels, which appear to be a stylized variation on the original 5 spoke Fuchs alloy wheel. On the interior, the prominent visual detail is the use of a houndstooth patterned fabric for the front and rear seat inserts, similar in concept to how many of the original Porsche 911s had been delivered. Granted two small design details, yet each carrying unique Porsche 911 DNA, forever linked to the early 911 models that made their debut 50 years ago.

Out back, another visual cue taken directly from the original 911; the silver brushed metal trim making up the rear engine decklid grill (reinterpreted for 2014), along with the lower horizontal accent vent trim, positioned just below the rear decklid and between the rear tail lights.

A look at the unique, 50th Anniversary Edition commemorative badging, celebrating the Porsche 911s production milestone.

I had read that Porsche would be displaying their 918 Spyder at this years show, so after looking around Petree Hall, I assumed that the huge crowd standing opposite from me, focusing their attention on a glass room must have found the 918 Spyder. As I approached the glassed – off enclosure, I could see that the sole occupant being displayed was in fact the 918 Spyder. From all the press leading up to this years auto show, I had hoped that Porsche would debut their new 918 Spyder at his show. And now here it was in person…

For comparison, below are several photos that I shot during Porsches Rennsport Reunion IV back in October 2011, of the 918 RSR concept car in development at the time.

What is interesting to note are the design elements and styling cues seen in the 918 RSR concept that Porsche chose to keep, and other features that Porsche elected to redesign. However, in typical Porsche fashion, the final iteration of the 918 Spyder displayed at the LA Auto Show still retained the genetics of the Porsche 918 RSR, yet had taken a substantial step towards the future by incorporating its race developed hybrid technology (an adaptation of its KERS / “kinetic energy recovery system”). This set- up also included the addition of an electric drive motor to each front wheel, all integrated into its latest super car for the street.

Representing yet another vehicle infused with Porsches hybrid technology, was the silver Panamera S E-Hybrid seen below; Porsches first luxury plug-in hybrid. Externally, two visual clues that reveal the cars dual identity are the subtle hybrid badges found on the front doors, as well as the color coded, day – glow fluorescent green brake calipers. Porsche has adopted this fluorescent, day glow green color as an identification marker on their hybrid models.

The last of the Porsche models making its debut at this years show was the brand new Macan. This new model represents Porsches venture into the smaller scaled SUV market, apparently designed to fill the void niche below its larger sibling, the Porsche Cayenne.

Given the size of the crowd around the Macan display, and the lines at each vehicle just to sit inside, I suspect that Porsche will have another hit on their hands. Based upon the younger demographic that I observed flocking to this vehicle, Porsche seems to have created a model that will appeal to the consumer who aspires to the Porsche brand, yet desire an SUV smaller than a Cayenne, while still retaining the looks of a Porsche.

Given the sheer number of World Premiers and model debuts on display in Petree Hall, 2014 promises to be an impressive year for Porsche. And with their return to Le Mans in June of 2014 with a brand new LMP-1 prototype, and their continued development of the 991 based RSR and GT3 Cup race cars, who knows what Porsche will unveil next year at Petree Hall…